The Edo State Government has established a 15-person sensitization team to inform and mobilize other drivers and commercial drivers about compliance with the government’s directive on the mandatory painting of all commercial vehicles and profile of drivers/owners in the state.
The latest endeavor came after the directive transport policy’s deadline was extended by two weeks.
Mrs. Edugie Agbonlahor, the managing director of the Edo State Transport Authority, inaugurated the committee and stated that the group’s goal is to make all transport stakeholders, particularly those in Benin metropolis, aware of the order before it is fully implemented.
She also reaffirmed the mutual understanding between the state government and the stakeholders about the extension of the deadline to December 31, 2022, and noted that the government had further extended the deadline by two weeks in honor of the New Year’s celebration.
She commended some drivers and owners for their sincere efforts in following the law by registering their cars within the allotted time, but she advised others to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the deadline extension in order to follow the law.
The managing director expressed confidence in the government’s new team’s ability to mobilize more drivers in order to assure adherence to the regulation requiring all commercial vehicles in the state to be painted, as well as the profiling of drivers and owners.
Agbonlahor also urged the group to carry out their tasks in a civilized, peaceful, and orderly manner.
She stated that by conducting the exercise, the government is gathering the information required to determine the number of transport operators in the state in order to efficiently plan and construct the necessary infrastructure.
The sensitization team includes some employees of the Ministry of Transportation as well as officials from the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and EDSTMA (Edo State Transport Management Agency) among others.